New Orleans Regional Exam Center Moves to Permanent Facility
The New Orleans Regional Examination Center (REC) will move to its permanent facility in Mandeville, La., and is scheduled to open on April 2. The Metairie REC location will close permanently at 3 p.m. on Wednesday to start the move. No telephone or email service to the old REC will be available after Wednesday. The REC's hours of operation in Mandeville will be from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 7:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. on Friday. The office will remain open for "limited services" during the lunch hour. Testing will be conducted during the same hours, but the latest time to start a new exam is 2:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and noon on Friday.
USCG Assists Merchant Mariners Affected by Katrina
WASHINGTON -- The Coast Guard is moving quickly to restore vital services to merchant mariners in the New Orleans area. Regional Examination Center (REC) Houston, previously reported as havening incurred a loss of communications has been restored to full operating capability. Hurricane Katrina caused the Coast Guard’s REC in New Orleans to close its doors as employees evacuated the city. This REC is the largest in the country and regularly issues 20 percent of all mariners’ credentials issued nationwide. Mariners serving on most commercial vessels are required to hold credentials that provide identification and attest to the mariners’ qualifications. Many mariners in the hurricane devastated area lost their credentials in the subsequent flooding.
